


We got each other’s back

by Berrytart



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: F/M, Post-Canon, Protectiveness, Stereotypes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-03
Updated: 2017-05-21
Packaged: 2018-05-30 23:23:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6446359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Berrytart/pseuds/Berrytart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nick P. Wilde had never thought that a bunny could practically <em>snarl</em>.<br/>Judy L. Hopps had never thought that a fox could be unbelievably <em>dumb</em>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I needed something to do for 4-hour-long bus trip and my mind spilled this drabble out. English is not my first language so please allow for some typos and mistakes. Thank you!

Officer Wilde was definately not a type of mammal who would treat others based on stereotypes.

He was also not being over-protective of his bunny partner with whom he had been working together for two years already. He knew she was capable of every aspects of her job. She was strong, quick, and smart. As the smallest officer of ZPD, she had proved that she can cope way much better than the most of other bigger officers.

It was just that this robbery suspect that they were chasing after, a grizzly bear, suddenly pulled out a pistol from his pocket and pointed it against Judy. Nick supposed that she could have easily avoided the bullet. She had amazing reflexes and great hind leg muscles. She might have been able to fling herself forward before the suspect could even pull the trigger and subdue him successfully.

Yet the gun looked too much big for her, as if it would be enough to tore her arm away by just grazing her shoulder, the bear’s angry expression also implied that he was determined to shoot, and Nick was never going to risk anything when it came to Judy Hopps. So he dashed out and shoved her away.

BANG!

 _Well, that hurts,_ he lazily thought with the burst of pain on his forearm, but was also slightly glad about that because it was just where Judy’s head had been a moment ago. He limped back a little due to the impact with his paw clutched over the injury, whereas the suspect realized that he missed and tried to take a better aim with a frustrated growl.

Judy, meanwhile, immediately rolled backward once to retrieve her balance which was damaged by her partner’s sudden interruption. Nick could see her perking up her ears and catching glimpses of the suspect, the gun, and his wound, assessing the whole situation in a microsecond. Then with a spark of fury in her eyes, she made a full lunge towards the shooter.

Again, Nick P. Wilde was not someone to be mattered with stereotypes at all. But then, he had never thought that a bunny could practically _snarl_.

“ _How_ \--”

In one beautiful leap, she snatched the weapon away from the bear’s paw. The shooter let out a yowl of pain due to broken fingers but Judy was already on the next move.

“--dare you--”

She grabbed his wrist and swiftly twisted it along with her own body. The bear stumbled. She let go of and stamped on his arm for the final attack.

“--hurt MY fox!”

She kicked his face as powerful as she could. The criminal plunged back, hit his head against the wall of a building, and eventually collapsed with a loud THUD as she turned a somersault in the air and then landed on her feet with such a grace.

That just looked like an action film. So fluent, so smooth.

_But what did she just say about me?_

A bit dazed due to pain and change of situation, Nick leaned himself on the wall, eyes fixed on her. She returned him an icy glare which almost made him wince. He desperately squeezed out a comment in a vain attempt to lighten up the mood a little.

“Um, wow. Ten out of ten.”

“Shut up, Nick Wilde.”

_Oops._

He decided that he’d better comply and silently watched Judy cuffing the criminal, barking reports and requests on the radio, and giving first-aid on him. Once done, she stepped back and simply kept staring at him, eyes narrowed and feet restlessly stumping.

“Uh,” he ventured, “sorry?”

“Oh you should be,” she snarled. Again. “What were you thinking? Trying to protect me? You know that I could dodge that.”

“Hey, Carrots, I didn’t mean bad, okay? I just didn’t want to see you get hurt.”

"And you’d think it’s okay _you_ get hurt?"

Nick was about to make _aww, see, you know you love me_ banter, but something in her solemn expressions advised him otherwise. He just gulped and she sighed in return.

“Thought so.”

“Carrots, I--”

“Nick,” She suddenly sounded very tired and sad. He felt his ears drooping down accordingly. She stretched out her right paw and tenderly stroked over the wound. “Nick.”

He gulped again, swallowing something thick down his throat, not sure what he should say now. “I’m sorry, Carrots.”

Judy closed her eyes. “I know.”

They waited until the paramedics and other officers finally arrived at the scene. It was only after Nick got into the ambulance and left the scene without Judy, who had to go back to the precinct for paperworks and debriefings, that he realized he had forgot to ask the most important question.

_What fox?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Judy L. Hopps had never thought that a fox could be unbelievably _dumb_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s been longer than a year and I decided this deserved another chapter.

Officer Hopps had always been all about resisting any stereotypes against anyone.

She was not saying, though, that _she_ did not have any of them. That fact was everything she learned from that nighthowler fiasco two years ago. She knew that those still affected her no matter how much she hated them. They were lurking beneath her consciousness, trying to keep her sight and thoughts in typical frames. Such frames were not only rude and inappropriate but also completely boring and tedious. A world that bore no surprises, which means no fun, no excitement in there. Such world did not even exist. A bunny and a fox could make a great pair. A sheep could be a henious criminal committing to subvert the whole city.

In other words, stereotypes be damned. Bunnies could be sly, foxes could be dumb, sheep could be bad, cheetahs could be slow, and sloths could be fast. The world she was living in was a dynamic, vigorous one. She liked it in that way.

But this level of stupidity of her fox was getting downright frustrating.

 _Did I just say_ my fox _again?_

 _Well,_ she huffed, _he is my partner and that surely grants me some right to call him mine._ Whatever. Anyways. This particular fox called Nick Wilde normally would be the smartest animal in the room. Cunning, agile, cautious, never missing a tiny detail, always coming up with a plan B. Kinda typical for a fox, but in a good way. However, when it came to certain things, suddenly he could become very, very stupid. Blind, even. Like that moment about three hours ago when he had to jump in front of her as if to protect her from a bullet that she knew she could avoid. _Would have avoided_ , if some idiot had not interrupted and shoved her away.

Again, Judy L. Hopps was not someone to be bothered with stereotypes at all. Yet she had never thought that a fox could be unbelievably _dumb_.

She could name three major reasons for the _Nick is dumb_ thesis. First of all, she was not a damsel in distress who needed to be taken care of. She was a decent police officer. They were partners, equally capable and competent. If that grizzly bear had aimed to shoot Nick, she would’ve been worried, definitely, but never thoughtlessly interrupted without considering the consequences. Second, for greenery’s sake, _she was the senior officer_ , thank you very much. If there should be any sort of responsibility between them, it mostly would be _hers_. Third, in what world could _being injured and stuck in a hospital_ sound like something helpful?

At the first time, she was angry because she thought it meant he didn’t trust her. She thought he doubted her abilities as his partner. Now two years had passed and she knew that was not true. He did trust her. They had each other’s back. Q.E.D. Yet his stupidity never disappeared. Even Nick himself could not explain well reasons for this tendency. It just kept happening.

 _At least, if you_ have to _keep doing that, make sure_ you _don’t get hurt, dumb fox!_

Therefore, she was here, still stranded in the office, writing down endless reports. And she was continuously sulking, seething, and stomping too. Some officers around her complained a little at the stomping noise but she just couldn’t help it. Stomping was the least thing she could do to stop herself before making a beeline to Nick or the shooter and beating one of them up.

It took another hour to wrap the whole mess up and get all the authorizations she needed. It was late night already. If she wanted to come back to work tomorrow in a healthy shape, she should head home right now. Instead, dragging her feet, she took a bus to visit Nick, because beating up a criminal in jail was illegal.

And there was her fox, sitting on the bed, greeting her with that stupid smile.

“Oh Carrots, you came to see me! How nice of y- OW!”

She had punched in his arm. Not the hurt one, though. She was nice like that.

“You got any last words?”

“Hey!” He protested, but then deflated. “Sorry for the hell of papers and reports you should’ve been through. I’ll watch out better next time. But I’m still happy you’re not hurt.”

“Yeah, yeah.” She snorted. “For the record, I was not going to ger hurt back there. How long do you have to stay here, at the hospital?”

“Hmm. Confident, aren’t you?” He wiggled his eyebrows. “They patched the wound up and gave me medicines which I dutifully took according to their instructions. I don’t even feel any pain. So I think I’m good to go already, but doctors said I’d better stay here tonight just in case.”

“And you will be.”

“What? No way, I completely believed in you that you came here to help my epic escape!”

With that childish banter, she felt all the tensions and strains within herself magically disappearing. Perhaps being alone in the office for hours had disturbed her more than she thought it would. Nick was dumb, would still be dumb, but it was nice to have her dumb fox back at her side.

They chatted for a while until a nurse appeared to notify them that visitors should leave soon. After final goodnight, when Judy was about to step across the threshold, Nick hesitantly asked.

“Hey, you know, when you kicked that bear’s ass?”

“Yes?”

“What did you call me again?”

She blinked and felt her cheeks getting warm. She could reason with herself about using that possessive pronoun regarding this specific, dumb, smart, cute fox, but telling him about this was too much embarrassing. So she just rolled her eyes and grunted, rather than giving an answer.

“If you stop being silly, I might tell you.”

“But you like my silliness.”

“Ha ha. Good night, dumb fox.”

“Sly bunny.”

It was only after Judy returned to her small room, changed clothes, washed face, and lay down on the bed, fully ready to be functional tomorrow morning, that she realized she had adopted some slightly strange adjective referring to her fox, no, Nick. Much stranger than using a possessive pronoun at there.

_What fox?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wanted this to be symmetrical with chapter 1, which is a bit lame? haha.


End file.
